Kai Lenny Crowned PWA’s Rookie of the Year

Hawaii’s Kai Lenny is a true waterman, tackling surfing, kite boarding, standup paddling, tow surfing, and windsurfing – just about anything you can think of involving waves. At just 17 years old, Kai has already been an accomplished athlete for more than half his life, and his latest in a long list of accolades just came from the Professional Windsurfers Association, who named Kai their 2009 PWA Rookie of the Year.

Lenny has been attending the occasional World Tour event for a few years now, but this year he gave it a real shot, attending two out of the three wave events held. In Cabo Verde, he proved his wave sailing skills by flying through various heats until he found himself up against the top eight. At this point, the level went through the roof, and Lenny wasn’t backing down. Anyone foolish enough to have questioned his ability had to reconsider as the teenager from Maui began to attempt 360s in the jaws of mast-high Ponta Preta monsters. After the double elimination, he eventually finished an impressive 11th.

Last week in Sylt, Lenny once again proved he is a force to be reckoned with, charging through his first heats in the sometimes brutal North Sea conditions. He fought hard against some of the more experienced sailors and eventually finished in equal 17th.

These two events were enough to rank Lenny in the top 20 overall for the 2009 season, which is an awesome achievement for someone of his age. Lenny is adamant about becoming world champion, so we expect to see plenty more of him on the World Tour over the next few years!

Jason Polakow was only 18 years old when he won the Motocross Junior Championships of Australia. Then he switched to windsurfing and became one of the best in his field. We present a portrait of this...